Landscape Site Grading Principles

Page 109

7 Contours In this chapter you will learn about: •

The graphic conventions for representing and communicating landforms using contour lines

How to manipulate contour lines in creating a variety of landforms

How to determine slope and precise elevations of any feature in the landscape

How to establish the slope of a land or paved surface using contours

Introduction The focus of this chapter is the use of contour lines in site grading; a later chapter will concentrate on the use of spot elevation. Together, contour lines and spot elevations are the basic tools of the designer in creating the slope, three-dimensional forms, and ultimately site-grading plans. Contours are especially useful to the designer in helping him or her visualize the forms to be created in the landscape, while spot elevations provide more precision to guide the detailed site-grading design. Contour lines in a grading plan fill in the gaps, providing critical information in transitional areas between hardscape features and areas of pavement and walls. For instance, where dimensions and spot elevations establish the height of walls, contours transition from the wall to the adjacent landscape areas. Contours provide a similar transitional function in the design of roadways, walks and trails, and paved areas, with spot elevations providing the precision a contractor needs, in order to establish grades. Our basic tools for providing grading instructions to a contractor are contours, spot elevations, and


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Index

8min
pages 316-322

References

0
page 315

Introduction to Estimating Earth-Moving Quantities

3min
pages 277-278

Water Detention Swale

4min
pages 268-270

Cut and Fill Is the Process of Earth Moving

2min
pages 275-276

Water Management

1min
pages 273-274

Aquifer Recharge

2min
pages 264-265

Retention Ponds

2min
pages 266-267

Roadside Drainage Swale

1min
page 263

Contour Grading

3min
pages 254-256

Traditional Handling of Surface Storm Water

1min
page 253

Design Process for Grading a Pedestrian Ramp

3min
pages 231-232

Construction Sequence for a Bus Shelter

4min
pages 245-248

Introduction

5min
pages 249-252

Introduction

1min
page 229

Grading of Paved Surfaces: Walks and Ramps

1min
page 230

Creating a Sculpted Landform

2min
pages 218-220

Catch Basin Design in Paved Area

1min
page 217

Creating a Watershed to Collect Surface Water

1min
page 216

Creating Landscapes Using Contours

3min
pages 182-183

Introduction

1min
page 203

Creating a Level Area on Sloping Ground

1min
page 206

From Schematic Design Plan to Grading Plan

2min
pages 178-181

How a Contractor Uses Spot Elevations Shown on a Grading Plan

1min
page 177

Introducing Calculation of Slope

3min
pages 138-139

Putting It All Together

3min
pages 134-137

Slope in Plan and Section

5min
pages 122-126

Contour Lines: A Language for Two Dimensions

1min
page 111

Reading the Landscape

1min
page 110

Introduction

1min
page 109

Referencing System for a Land Parcel

1min
page 104

The Language of Maps How to Find and Locate Places in the Landscape,

1min
page 95

Licensed Land Surveyor

1min
page 105

U.S. Geological Survey and Scales of Other Countries

2min
pages 93-94

The Information Contained in Topographic Maps

1min
page 92

Architect’s and Engineer’s Scales

1min
page 86

Topographic Maps Are Useful Preplanning Tools

4min
pages 87-89

Map Scales and Contour Intervals

2min
page 90

Using and Choosing the Right Scale

2min
page 83

Reference Plan and Match Lines

2min
pages 84-85

Site Grading Is Integral to the Phases of Design

1min
page 82

The Need for Scaled Drawings

1min
page 81

Scale: A Word of Several Meanings

2min
pages 79-80

Construction Documentation

1min
page 75

Miscommunication

1min
page 74

Another Word about Scale

2min
pages 76-78

Drafting and Representation The Concept of Documentation Conventions in

1min
page 69

Music and Design Following Drawing Conventions Prevents

4min
pages 70-73

Drawing Conventions: Landscape Drawings and Music Scores

1min
pages 67-68

the Design Continuum

1min
pages 65-66

Preliminary Site Grading Plan Design Development and Subsequent Phases in

2min
pages 63-64

Step 4 Land Use and Circulation Diagram

1min
pages 56-57

Step 3 Program Analysis

2min
pages 54-55

Introduction

1min
page 45

Professional Registration to Practice Landscape Architecture

5min
pages 40-44

Site Grading in the Professional Practice of Landscape Architecture

1min
page 39

Could Have Been Avoided

1min
pages 37-38

Avoiding Grading Problems in the Landscape

1min
page 36

What the Student Needs to Know about Site Grading

4min
pages 27-29

The Importance of Grading in Design

3min
pages 22-23

Site Grading Informs Design

2min
pages 19-20

Professional Relationships

1min
page 30

Let’s Begin

0
page 21

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

1min
page 24

What Is Site Grading?

2min
pages 33-35

The Basic Structural Approach to This Book

1min
pages 31-32
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